Back to the Best Years
by DrowRanger
Summary: Every one's read it from Harrys point of view, evryone's written it from Sirius' but what about Remus what thoughts were going through Remus' mind the year he came back to Hogwarts, the year Sirius escaped from Azkaban, the year he met James' son? Please
1. The last Marauder

Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts, Diagon ally or any of the places mention in this fic. Nor do I own Lupin, Dumbledore, Harry, Sirius or any of the other main characters. If JK Rowling, or anybody at Warner Brothers is for some strange reason reading this, please don't sue. You'll destroy my hopes of going to collage, and deny the world of a wonderful new writer who someday plans to stop procrastinating and actually write something of her own. I could end up spending the rest of my life working as a dishwasher at Taco Bell, just because some stupid egotistical company sued me for writing a fanfic!  
  
Ch. 1 Remus Lupin leaned against a park bench and smiled, the sun warming back. He was happy, for the first time in twelve years. For the first time since a very close friend had met an untimely death at the hands of his best friend.  
  
But he wasn't thinking about that now. Remus reached his hand into his robes, and pulled out a thick piece of yellow parchment, scanning the content written in deep purple ink, his eyes lingered on the loopy signature.  
  
Albus Dumbledore, the best years of his life had started with that signature. At a time when Remus had thought he was destined to live the rest of his life in a little apartment, being locked in the shower once a month so that he could turn into a raging monster with a desperate craving for human flesh, that signature had come bearing a personal invitation to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, to study magic at one of the best schools of magic in the world.  
  
Now Albus Dumbledore was calling him back to that place, this time to teach. The situation this time was not quite as desperate as the last time as he could now work around his monthly transformation. But jobs were scarce, and it was very seldom that he could find a job that would allow for monthly disappearances on account of becoming a werewolf. People were terrified of werewolves, that was also something he'd had to learn to cope with, but it would be nice to be somewhere where everyone didn't flinch when every he looked at them.  
  
He pulled out his money pouch and winced. He had one galleon and three knuts to his name. That wouldn't even buy him a train ticked to London. He'd have to apperate though he was hardly in condition, the day after the full moon. He pulled out his wand murmuring the complicated spell, hoping he wouldn't splinch.  
  
There was a loud crack and suddenly he was standing in the middle of a dusty street. He stumbled, apperating took a lot of strength and he had used plenty of energy the night before running around as an enraged beast.  
  
Remus leaned against a street lamp to whipe sweat from his forehead. He looked around, and winced, he had miscalculated and ended up in Knocturn instead of Diagon Ally. A thin witch with bright reddish brown hair did not seem at all surprised to see a man in faded tattered robes appear out of nowhere.  
  
"Would you like to buy a paper?" She asked. "Only two knuts." He started to shake his head , but something in the paper caught his eye, it looked like-but it couldn't be.  
  
"Hang on," he said to the witch who had started turn away. He pulled two knuts from his robes and quickly took the paper.  
  
Remus froze starring at the paper in his hands. Blinking up at him was a face he knew well, though the face was much changed since the last time he had looked at it. The immaculate black hair had become a long tangled mask that hung to the man's shoulders the handsome face had become pale and waxy, and the deep energetic eyes were now dull as he stared up from the paper, but it was still Sirius Black.  
  
The same Sirius who had slipped wet-start fireworks into the Slytherin common room, who had cheered the loudest when James had won Gryffindor there second quidditch cup in a row, the same Sirius who had illegally become an anamagi so he could accompany Remus on the full moon.  
  
No. he told himself firmly that's not who your looking at. Your looking at Sirius Black the Death Eater, Sirius Black who betrayed his best friend to the most evil wizard in written history, the Sirius Black who killed fourteen people with one curse- fourteen people including a friend from Hogwarts.  
  
Remus shook his head as if to clear his mind of the memories and forced his eyes to the headline.  
  
'HIGH SECURITY PRISONER ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN' he stared at the bold print, reading it over several times, so Sirius, was out. Suddenly all the thoughts that had been spinning around in his head seemed to disperse into the cold wind that swept over the ally.  
  
Feeling detached from his emotions Remus tucked the paper under his arm, as if it held nothing of disturbance, as if it's bold print didn't cry out the worst news he'd since the abrupt end of James and Lily Potter. He calmly strode towards the place where Knocturn ally melted into the far more pleasant Diagon ally.  
  
People ducked into doorways when they saw him, or crossed to the other side of the road. Almost anyone who came to Diagon ally with any regularity knew he was a werewolf. He had been foolish enough to apply for a job there, and of coarse had had too explain why he'd needed full moons off. He'd only told the owner of Florish and Blott's but the story had spread.  
  
But now, not even the glares from dusty store windows, and the mutterings behind his back annoyed him. He was completely void of emotion, as he walked quickly down the street..  
  
A small bell jingled as Remus entered Ollivander's wand shop.  
  
"Be right with you" Called a voice from the back room.  
  
"It's just me." Remus called back.  
  
"Oh, hello Remus." As short man came into the room, dusting wood chips off his robes. "How long will you be staying this time?"  
  
"Not long." Remus replied. "only tonight. I'll be heading off to Hogwarts August first."  
  
"Hogwarts you say? What'll you be doing there?"  
  
"Teaching. Dumbledore asked me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."  
  
"Wonderful!" the small man said cheerfully. "Let me guess," he added going more serious. "The Leaky Cauldron doesn't want to put you up?"  
  
Remus winced. "I'm broke." He admitted.  
  
Ollivander shook his head. "Tom's a good lad, but I suppose he's got to keep his customers happy."  
  
Remus couldn't help but smile. Ollivander was the only one he knew aside from Dumbledore, who could call someone as old as Tom a lad.  
  
"I think there pretty full." He said "I heard he's got a bunch of people for the week before school starts."  
  
"Well, my back room's always open." The old man said.  
  
"I don't want to put you out Ollivander." Remus said quietly.  
  
"Nonsense." The wand maker said cheerfully. "it's nice to know my wands are protected."  
  
Before Remus could argue, the bell above the door jingled and a man entered with a happy looking boy. The both had very red hair, and the sight stirred something in Remus. Especially the father, he looked extremely familiar, but at the moment he was feeling too removed to remember.  
  
Too tired to argue Remus turned and opened the door to the workroom. The soft smell of sawdust filled his nostrils as he looked upon the small cluttered room. Wood chips scattered across the floor, a few delicate unicorn hairs lay in one pan of a silver scale, catching the light, so that they seemed to glitter with many colors. A large pile of thin rods of different kinds of wood lay piled in one corner.  
  
Remus paused staring at something in the corner.  
  
"Ollivander," he called, "You kept my trunk?"  
  
"Well of course I did, you were only gone a month." The man replied.  
  
"Yeah.." Remus said "but I kind of disappeared on you. I didn't think you'd want to see me again, much less keep my trunk."  
  
"Well it does make a nice shelf, leaving half made wands on other wood, can warp them." Ollivander said, busily bustling in.  
  
Remus cracked a thin, tired smile. "Thanks Ollivander."  
  
"For heavens sake boy, you look like you haven't slept in days, which of course is probably true, I doubt slept last night anyway. Sit down, go read the paper or something. And there goes the door again." Ollivander said turning to leave the room.  
  
Remus grimaced, today's headline suddenly flashed across his memory. Sliding to the floor, he eyed the Daily Prophet still held in one hand. Slowly, he turned it over, staring at the photo once more, Sirius stared out at him, his face pale and emotionless, eyes like dull pits, all thought gone.  
  
Abruptly Remus stood up, the paper fell to the floor. He crossed the room quickly, pulling open the door that lead out into the alleyway behind the shops.  
  
The sun was sinking quickly, and the chill of the evening had already set in. Remus ignored this however, and set off slowly down the road. I'm the last one, he thought, the last marauder, Sirius' gone mad, James killed by Voldemort,, and Peter killed by Sirius, leaving only me, the only survivor of a friendship we'd thought would last forever. A promise never to fail each other, to always lend a hand when the other's needed it most. A bond held together by shared dreams and hopes, and by Fears and sufferings endured together. A bond that had felt so true and so strong torn apart by death an betrayal.  
  
But now Sirius was out again, Sirius the enraged killer wandered the streets.  
  
He's got to be up to something . Remus thought kicking a stone against the gutter not even Sirius could break out of Azkaban without a clear purpose, without a motivation to get him through twelve long, joyless years. But what could it be?  
  
Suddenly an involuntary shiver shot dawn Remus' spine. What if it was him, what if Sirius was after Remus, the last of the Marauders, what if some hidden corner of Sirius' strange and twisted mind felt guilt, maybe Sirius thought that killing the last of his childhood friends would relive him of his last connections to the good side.  
  
With such thoughts whirling in his mind, Remus prowled through Diagon Ally, as the nearly full moon, rose higher in the night sky. Then Eventually it began to sink towards eastern horizon. It was nearly two in the morning, when Remus finally started back towards Ollivander's Wand Shop.  
  
Carefully Remus pushed open the back door to the workroom. He moved carefully trough the dark room not wanting to wake Ollivander who's room was next door.  
  
Remus didn't wake up until eight o'clock the next morning. Grumbling about wasted time, he checked his trunk one last time before dragging it out to the front door of the shop. Ollivander was waiting for him, polishing his wands with an old rag that glowed faintly with multi colored wand dust. He raised an eyebrow when Remus entered the room, trunk in tow.  
  
"You didn't sleep much last night." The old man stated setting down the cloth.  
  
"I had a lot on my mind." Remus said rather defensively.  
  
"You really are going to over-exhaust yourself." Ollivander said rummaging through a drawer behind the counter.  
  
"Here." He said, handing Remus a large bar of Honey Dukes' chocolate.  
  
Remus smiled tiredly in thanks. "I've gotta go, the Hogwarts Express leaves from Kings Cross station at eleven o'clock, and I've got to get there on foot."  
  
Murmuring a spell to lighten the weight in his trunk. Remus set out across London. **************************************************************************** So is this any good? I'm not sure if I should keep going. REVIEW!!! 


	2. Return to Hgwarts

Ch.2 It was dark and cold, as Remus stumbled down the narrow ally between two large stone buildings, he was completely exhausted, only some crazy calling pushing from the back of his mind forced him to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keeping him from sinking to the cold stone beneath him.  
  
Then he heard it, Peter's voice, shrill with anger and fear.  
  
"Sirius how could you do it? Lilly and James, they trusted you. How could you kill James after all the time you've spent together? How could you sell them to- to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? You killed the Potters Sirius! You killed Lily and James!"  
  
Remus was pushing through people, muggles, and Ministry official's called to the scene. He burst through the outer ring of people, for a moment he could see them, Peter staring up at Sirius, who stood tall, framed against the fading sunset, a slight wind ruffled his thick black hair, and his eyes stared down at the man before him with a look of complete loathing.  
  
Then Remus felt a hand on his shoulder pulling hand backwards back into the crowd. "We'll deal with this one Remus, your exhausted already."  
  
Remus turned driven by some desperate energy he tried wildly to yank away from his captured he could see arms, Ministry robes, the face was blurred irrelevant to his mind detached from reason.  
  
Suddenly there was a loud explosion bursting into silence. Remus opened his eyes, suddenly he could see. There was nothing between him and Sirius, he looked down. His robes were covered in blood. Everywhere in front of him there were bodies, torn apart by the explosion and blood. so much blood.  
  
He looked up Sirius stood there wand still poised. Then he tilted back his head and laughed a cold humorless laugh that chilled Remus' bones echoing throughout his skull.  
  
Remus awoke with a jerk. It was dark. He felt around, disoriented. He moved instinctively, drawing his wand from his robes. He felt the cold chill squeeze down his spine, there were dementors about. There were voices around him, he forced his mind to focus. "Come in and sit down." Said a girl's voice.  
  
"Not here, I'm Here !"another voice cut in.  
  
"Ouch!" someone cried  
  
"Quiet." Remus cut in hoarsely.  
  
Remus murmured a spell, filling his hand with blue flames. A flickering light filled the room, he could see five confused students tangled together in a corner as if they'd fallen over each other in the dark. Remus stiffened, the creature was coming closer.  
  
"Stay where you are." He commanded, his voice still coming out hoarse.  
  
He stood up quickly and strode towards the door of the compartment. Before he could reach it the door slid slowly open. A dementor stood in the doorway, searching the room with hidden eyes.  
  
Wakefulness suddenly washing over him, Remus stared in confusion, what was a dementor doing here? Dementors worked for the ministry now, guarding Azkaban, they shouldn't be out. Unless... of coarse, they were searching for Sirius. Remus knew he should have felt relieved, with dementors after him not even Sirius could stay hidden long. But instead he felt a burst of anger.  
  
He pulled out his wand. "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks." He said quietly "Go." The creature didn't move, he hadn't really expected it to.  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" he whispered, his mind flick quickly back to his first full moon adventure, romping free with the other marauders, in the Forbidden Forest.  
  
A silvery tiger glided from his wand tip. It turned emitting a silent hiss of challenge it bounded towards the hooded creature. The dementor turned quickly gliding away .  
  
Remus turned his attention to the floor. A boy had fallen from his chair, and now lay curled on the floor. The shaggy black hair sent a shudder of familiarity through Remus. He looked so much like James...  
  
Remus shook himself, two of the students, a girl with thick fluffy brown hair, and a tall boy with flaming red hair had rushed to the boy's side.  
  
The black hiared boy jerked, the hair on his forehead shifting, and Remus caught site of a thin lightning shaped scar. Of coarse, this was Harry Potter, James' son.  
  
"Harry, Harry! Are you alright?" The girl was asking anxiously.  
  
The boy's eyes flew open, they were same intense emerald green that had so ensnared James' young carefree heart.  
  
The boy -Harry- moaned, pushing his round glasses up his sweaty nose. His friends heaved him into a seat.  
  
"Are you OK?" Asked the red-haired boy.  
  
"Yeah," Harry mumbled his eyes flicking to the door. "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?"  
  
Remus, who had been pulling the chocolate bar Ollivander had given him out of his suitcase froze, realizing what must have gone through the boy's head when the dementor entered.  
  
"No one screamed." The other boy said looking nervous.  
  
"But I heard screaming." Harry was saying uncertainly Remus snapped the chocolate in half, trying to wake himself up from his stupor. Everyone in the compartment jerked, whirling to look at him.  
Feeling very much the intruder, Remus concentrated on breaking the chocolate into pieces.  
"Here." He said rather gruffly handing a large piece to James' son. "Eat it, it'll help." Then he froze, James' Son! Of coarse, He thought Sirius is was after Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.  
  
He shook himself mentally, careful to keep the sudden surge of emotion hidden.  
  
"What was that?" Harry was asking.  
  
"A dementor." He replied, concentrating on handing chocolate out to the other children. "One of the dementors of Azkaban."  
  
His fist clenched suddenly, crumpling the wrapper in his hand. Remus tried to make it look casual, stuffing the wrapper into his pocket.  
  
"Eat it. It'll help." Realizing he'd just repeated himself he added quickly "I need to speak to the driver, excuse me." He had to get out of there! He strolled passed them as calmly as he could.  
  
Only when he closed the compartment door behind him, could Remus think clearly. So Sirius was after Harry Potter. Wanting to finish the job, Remus supposed, perhaps to bring Voldemort back, but then perhaps not, Sirius had never liked having to follow someone.  
  
Suddenly Remus felt himself stiffen. So Sirius wasn't after him, it didn't really matter, they'd have to fight anyway. The last of the Marauders couldn't stand by and ignore such a threat on James' son. Couldn't cling to childhood hopes and memories when the real world called him. Whether Sirius wanted it or not he'd have to face Remus one more time before he died.  
  
Feeling better now Remus entered the engine room. A harassed looking which glanced up. "Yes. It was a scheduled search, we'll be at Hogwarts in fifteen minuets" she said rather tiredly.  
  
"Thanks." Remus replied, "I was wondering if there was a way I could owl ahead?" The witch blinked. "Sure, we've got a post owl, we keep in case of emergency."  
  
Remus thanked her quickly scribbling a note to Dumbledore, explaining Harry Potter's reaction to the dementors. He wasn't sure why, but it was one of those things that Dumbledore would like to know about.  
  
Remus paused in the doorway to the last compartment.  
  
"I haven't poisoned the chocolate you know." he said, slightly amused. Harry glanced up distractedly, taking a bite of the chocolate.  
  
"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minuets." He added. The boy was still looked pale. "Are you alright Harry?" Remus asked trying to hide the anxiousness in his voice.  
  
"Fine," Harry muttered looking away.  
  
Remus climbed quickly off the train at the Hogsmeade station, wincing at the sigh of the thestrals which waited patiently in the harnesses of the carts that carried students to the castle.  
  
He could barley remember a time when these creatures were invisible to him. When thestrals were just creatures seen by other people who had lead a more tragic life. Now he doubted anyone who had survived Voldemort's short but terrible reign could remain oblivious to the creatures.  
  
As the carriage came to a stop he noticed someone speaking in the crowd of students in front of him.  
  
"You fainted Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth, you actually fainted?" A cold voice crowed with delight.  
  
Remus glanced up as he climbed out of the carriage. A pale boy with silvery blond hair stood blocking Harry's way to Hogwarts castle.  
  
"Shove off Malfoy," the red haired boy -Ron they'd called him- pushed in front of Harry.  
  
"What's the matter Weasly? Did the scary old dementors frighten you too?" The boy sneered.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Remus asked mildly.  
  
Malfoy, he assumed this was Lucius' son, glanced up.  
  
"No. er.. professor." Remus caught a hint of sarcasm in the boys voice, but decided to let it slide.  
  
Walking past them he entered the castle through the large front doors. Pushing through the crowed of students that streamed into the great hall, Remus made his way towards the staff table.  
  
"Lupin! what are you doing here?" a cold voice asked.  
  
Lupin whirled. "Hello Severus, Dumbledore's asked me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts." He said curtly.  
  
"So I heard, much against my personal judgment I might add." Severus said. Before Remus could reply Dumbledore hailed him from the staff table.  
  
"Remus! You're here."  
  
The sorting went rather uneventfully, and Dumbledore stood up to give his customary speech.  
  
"Welcome!" He cried, as enthusiastic as always. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to all of you one of which is very serous, I think we'd best get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you will all be aware of after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us I must make it plain that none of you are to leave the grounds without permission. Dementor are not fooled by tricks or disguises, or even invisibility cloaks. It's not in the nature of dementors to understand pleading and excuses, I therefore warn every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects and new head girl and boy to make sure no students run afoul of the dementors. "  
  
Remus noted the tension in the hall, when Dumbledore paused.  
  
"On a happier note," Dumbledore continued, "I'm pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.  
  
"First of all Professor Lupin has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark arts teacher," As a quite unenthusiastic applause rippled through the Great Hall, Remus was uncomfortably aware of the chilling glare of complete loathing he was receiving from Severus Snape. Remus was unsure what to think of the potion master's attitude. Severus of course, had had good enough reason to have despised the marauders in their years at Hogwarts, but that was eighteen years ago. On the other hand, as much as it felt like betrayal to admit it, Severus seemed to have been write about Sirius.  
  
Remus shook himself back into realty, Dumbledore was speaking again.  
  
"...None other than Rubius Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties." The empty golden platters and goblets skidded across the table, as Hagrid lifted the table cloth to wipe his eyes.  
  
"Well I think that's all of importance." Dumbledore sad, "Let the feast begin!"  
  
Remus was delighted to get to the feast, he hadn't eaten all day and the food tasted just as good as he remembered. When the last bits of treacle and plum cake disappeared into the golden plates, Remus watched Harry, Ron, and the girl -Remus was not sure of her name- make there way towards the staff table.  
  
"Congratulations Hagrid!" The girl cried.  
  
"All down 'ter you three." Hagrid was saying wiping his face on a napkin. Remus smiled. It looked like Harry had good connections. Having a friend that was half giant was always a bonus when one of the darkest wizards of recorded history was on your trail. Remus left quickly, thinking of a nice hot bath before bed. He paused in the doorway, glancing back at the great hall, and he couldn't help but feel that he was home. 


End file.
